Most people will agree that it is relaxing to watch objects in motion such as disco balls or fish, to name just two examples.
For this reason and perhaps many others, liquid-filled novelties have long been a staple decoration in homes and offices. The liquid is often water, for reasons of its ready availability, its safety and handling properties, and the fact that a product incorporating water can often be shipped empty of water, instead requiring the end user to add it. It is also typically cheaper than other available liquids such as melted paraffin or any of the various oils. Examples of liquid-filled novelties include the perennial favorite snow globes as well as the '60s-iconic lava lamps, which have also acquired an enduring popularity.
The familiar and cozy snow globe or the groovy lava lamp may make for very appealing decorations to any space, but they also come with some of the same practical limitations as well as others that are unique to each. For example, the dimensions of both novelties will impose certain space requirements on the chosen display location. The base for both a snow globe and a lava lamp are most often circular, but when the additional space occupied by any associated protuberances such as switches or power cables is accounted for, it becomes a roughly square area that must be provided by the table or other available surface. This can represent a problem as it represents a sacrifice of either useful, functional tabletop or counter space, or else just space that most people would prefer to devote to family photos or a needed lamp. In the case of a snow globe, even though the liquid filling the globe is usually water, the globe will typically come filled with water both because of the problem of obtaining the faux snow as well as the fact that the decorative features disposed within snow globes are often delicate and would face the risk of damage if a user were to attempt to fill it with liquid. Regarding a lava lamp, this too comes filled with an oil along with wax, and it would not be desirable or even feasible, for the user to fill it himself. Clearly, in the cases of both the snow globe and the lava lamp, the products would for all practical purposes need to ship from the manufacturing site with all necessary liquid contained therein. This will impose additional shipping costs due to the excess weight caused by shipping liquid-filled novelty items.
Thus, it would be advantageous to provide a novelty item that can provide the viewing pleasure of a movable object while taking up far less space in the display location, having a lower gross weight due to the optional inclusion of liquid at shipment, and having greater ease of use and safety characteristics for the intended consumer.